Not to this existent.
I believe the count is up to 70 some elk within about a mile.
We had a cold snap and then wind and the ice became soft .
once the elk fall through they cant climb out, they drown and then freeze into the ice really a sad seen .
IDFG is using shot crackers to try and keep the game from crossing.

I used to live out there. I don't know how old Lucky Peak is, but it's far from new -- we're talking decades. I was there for the first time over 20 years ago, and it had been around for quite some time then.

Sounds to me like another case of bunny-huggers trying to find a way to blame humanity for every tragedy in the animal kingdom. This case is doubly tempting to them because it represents an opportunity to not only absolve the animal kingdom of any responsibility for tragedy, but to condemn a dam as well -- another liberal pet peeve.

I'll buy the dam argument if we're talking salmon. But you can't convince me that elk are so stupid that they'll blindly the path even if there's a lake in the way. Elk aren't lemmings.

If anything, it might be chalked up to the fact that Lucky Peak's water level fluctuates considerably from year to year and within the year itself. So depending on the time of year and moisture levels, large areas may or may not be under water. So if it's cold enough to freeze, elk would face ice of unknown thickness over water of unknown depth -- assuming they can tell the difference between ice and snow-covered ground in the first place.

Thanks Bit I couldn’t find a link. Here is the one I found this morning. http://www.ktvb.com/news/localnews/ktvbn-jan1204-Lucky_Peak_elk.b8018d6....
Here is something new I just herd. Local animal rights groups are now complaining that the IDFG are harassing the game to much by shooting shot crackers at them to move them further down the canyon.
I happened to drive by this area this weekend on my way to a BP shoot.

Expatriate
What you say elk don’t do is just what they are doing. Half a mile up river there is open water and save ground to get in and out of the water, down river it is the same. In fact not to fare up the road the elk could jump across the river and never get wet.
This year these elk are just victims of the weather its part of the way of things

Elk aren't migratory animals. Oh, sure, they generally move from one feeding ground in the summer to another in the winter, and often follow the same path each year, but this doesn't constitute "migration" according to its scientific definition. So, right there, we know that whoever wrote about the lake being in their "migratory trail" really doesn't know what he/she is talking about.

Beyond that, I suspect that the elk can't tell the difference between a snow-covered lake and a snow-covered meadow. How would they know that it is dangerous to cross until they get in the middle of the lake and break through the ice? They wouldn't. So it doesn't surprise me that they keep coming along this same route. As long as it is safe to cross MOST of the time, they'll probably keep crossing in the same place.

Elk aren't migratory animals. Oh, sure, they generally move from one feeding ground in the summer to another in the winter, and often follow the same path each year, but this doesn't constitute "migration" according to its scientific definition. So, right there, we know that whoever wrote about the lake being in their "migratory trail" really doesn't know what he/she is talking about.

[ This Message was edited by: donmillion on 2004-01-13 12:50 ]

Sorry Don I didn't catch if you were trying to be sarcastic or serious with this post, I guess thats how rediculious it sounds to me to say elk aren't migratory animals. They absolutely are migratory animals according to the simple definition. They herd up and move from one region to another, thats migration. The elk in my area take the same route year after year and is characterized by everyone as a migration.

True they aren't necessarily traveling hundreds of miles but is 25 miles a migration? I'd say yes when every animal does it.

Not migrating?
Ok I don’t know about where you live but here each spring summer and fall the elk migrate to different grounds.
In the late fall early winter the move down to lower levels where its not only warmer but also the food is more available. Now in the spring they will move to the calving grounds or locations and then in the fall back to their breeding grounds.
Also they do not cross in this area every year. Some years they cross further up and some years lower down, this year some have chosen this spot to cross and are not making it
Heck even the deer have moved down. I could take you to where I hunt every year and you wouldn’t see even a doe why? Because they cleared out shortly after the first snows for the lower valleys, now that may not be a migration of 200 miles but it sure is a mass movement

Out here in Colorado, and in the units that I haunt, it is a tricky game to figure out how far to pack in on a rifle hunt. You want to get away from the masses that have moved game away from the roads but might want to stay close enough that you are taking advantage of the animals forced movements. There is no universal distance but I like the 1.5 to 4 mile range for day hunts where I am not planning on bivying out. This keeps you in that productive buffer zone where the animals are really...